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“You asked your ex about the stuff for Rebel?” Miranda asked, and Tori had no idea what the tone in her voice meant.
Damn it.
What mess had she just put herself into the middle of? Miranda would be offended. Siena was acting odd. What was she doing? “Yes, but only because she has half of Harley’s stuff anyway. I knew she’d have more to give you.”
“Tori.” Miranda’s lips curled ever so slightly at the edges, a genuine smile that reached her eyes. “It’s fine. Thank you.”
“Of course. It’s what friends do.” The word caught in Tori’s throat, but that’s what they had become, hadn’t they? Miranda had called her after a bad day and came over for a drink. It was a friend thing, only a friend thing. Tori ignored the part of her that scoffed at her reasoning. She was back to questioning what the strange energy in the room was all about.
“I should go. I shouldn’t have interrupted your night,” Miranda said. Did Tori detect sadness in her eyes?
“No, please. I’ll just walk Siena out. Please don’t go.” Tori held her breath, waiting for Miranda to reply.
“Ready for the tickle train to depart?” Siena chuckled as she walked down the hallway.
Tori caught a glimpse of devastation in Siena’s gaze as she caught her eye, the icy exterior she had greeted Tori with thankfully gone but replaced with something worse. Tori wished she knew what the cause was. Tori caught the apologetic look she threw to Miranda before Siena nodded her head down and reached the door.
“Come on.” Tori grabbed Harley’s bag that had slipped off of Siena’s shoulder and hung it heavily on her forearm.
Siena threw Miranda another look. Her tone was back to ice when she said, “It was nice meeting you.”
“Wait!” Harley said in a voice that stopped Tori in her tracks.
“What’s up, Pumpkin?” Tori asked, searching Harley’s face for the pain or panic. They hadn’t had problems with her going from house to house in at least a year. Please don’t let this be the night she throws a fit again!
“I have to say goodbye to Rebel.”
Harley clambered up onto Miranda’s lap along with Rebel, crushing the toddler in a hug. It was one of the most adorable things Tori had seen in a long time. She wished she could give Harley that, a sibling that she could play with and grow up with. An only child was never something she had in mind for her family.
“I need to give her a goodnight kiss,” Harley said with such confidence Tori felt her chest swell with pride at the love and openness that came so naturally to her daughter.
Tori and Siena exchanged glances and small smiles. It seemed their parenting had rubbed off.
Harley wiggled in Miranda’s lap to press her lips to Rebel’s chubby cheek. She made an exaggerated muah sound before pulling back and laughing. Rebel reached forward, her arms around Harley’s neck as she gave Harley a hug of her own. Miranda had a faraway expression in her gaze, and Tori couldn’t put her finger on what it meant.
Harley let Rebel give her a wet kiss before giggling, and then she whispered something into Rebel’s ear. Tori couldn’t hear the words, but the tone held such sweet tenderness.
“Bye ’Randa,” Harley said a little louder, turned on her heels, and bolted toward Siena. Siena opened her arms and swung her up to her hip.
“All right, we ready to go now?” Siena asked with a big bright smile, already moving toward the door.
Tori was torn between staying in the living room with Miranda and walking Siena outside to say her goodbyes to Harley like she normally did. Something kept her rooted to the spot a moment longer than she expected.
Miranda gave her a curt smile. “Go on. We’ll be fine while you tell her goodbye.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
Tori reached for the door and stopped again, looking Miranda over. She didn’t want to leave. That’s what this was. She wanted to stay in Miranda’s presence for as long as she could and be the friend that Miranda so desperately needed. “I’ll just be a minute.”
“We’ll be waiting.”
Tori took Harley from Siena’s arms for their goodbye squeezes. By the time Harley was strapped into her car seat, Siena was standing next to her, bag already stashed. It was a familiar dance. Tori was comforted by the routine though a little sadness lingered at the week she would miss with her daughter.
The look on Siena’s face told Tori that the conversation they were about to have was one neither of them would enjoy. She shut the door firmly so Harley wouldn’t hear anything. Protecting her from whatever argument was about to ensue had always been their primary goal. Harley didn’t need to be privy to their disagreements.
“Tori.” Siena spoke her name as though approaching a cornered animal.
